


This Candle Burns

by AmiMendal



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Discord: Hearts & Cauldrons SSHG Server, Drabble, F/M, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Infertility, One Shot, Severus Snape Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:55:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29056278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmiMendal/pseuds/AmiMendal
Summary: Hermione and Severus struggle with bad news. (ANGSTY. READ TAGS.)
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39
Collections: Hearts and Cauldrons Discord Members





	This Candle Burns

**Author's Note:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: This drabble deals with infertility. Please do not read further if this upsets you. My love and thoughts are with all who struggle with conceiving.
> 
> Prompt inspiration: NaomiJameston

Hermione couldn’t help the well of tears that insisted on escaping her brown eyes. She also couldn’t dislodge the lump in her throat, nor the irate creature that seemed to burrow in her heart. Her gaze was captured by the flickering flame of the candle; she was entranced by the swaying of the bundle of plasma with each breath she released.

The wax dripped down the side messily, tiny white drops that cooled in seconds and hardened in the tiny bronze candle holder. Hermione wondered if her heart would be like the excess wax - would she, too, become cold and hard? Hardened against the pain, the sadness, the disappointment? 

Lifting a bronze snuffer, she extinguished the candle and replaced the tool to its home.

Her eyes watched the smoke dance above the candle, growing and shifting and yet disappearing before it hit the ceiling. 

A shadow in the doorway signaled the arrival of her husband. In the corner of her eye, she noticed the droop in his shoulders and the shift in his neck - his signature move of hiding behind a curtain of black hair. There was a puff of orange by his ankle; Crookshanks must have led him upstairs from the Floo.

Severus understood that she needed to grieve. He was dealing with his own pain in the aftermath of the Healer’s news. But he had never expected to have children and so the realization that Hermione could not bear children was only a disappointment to him - not heart-shattering, life-altering agony.

The smoke dissipated completely, renewing Hermione’s tears. A sob erupted from her before she could stop it, her hand flying to her face in an attempt to quiet her suffering.

Severus took three strides and wrapped his arms around his wife, encompassing her in his warmth and love. Hermione was wholly in her grief, but she didn’t have to be alone. More than the vows they shared, Severus shared his strength and heart with his wife.

He re-lit the candle, the flames dancing once more. "Keep it lit, Hermione. This candle burns for you. And your love - for any child we do or do not have."


End file.
